Rhinelander - We need to wait awhile to figure out how the sale of Wausau Paper's Rhinelander and Mosinee mills will really effect the communities.But Friday night, we did find a sense of cautious optimism coming from city leadership. Rhinelander Mayor Dick Johns worked at the paper mill from 1955 to 1994. He's seen plenty of changes at the plant over the years, including three separate sales. That past experience keeps him hopeful for the future.
"Confident's not a good word, but I'm hoping that it will be," Johns said. "That's important to all of us. You know, we have PrintPack down on the other side of town, that's an improvement to our community and we're proud of that and we're proud of that paper company."KPS Capital Partners in New York invested $130 million to buy the two Wisconsin mills. They're offering Wausau Paper 25 percent ownership in the new paper company they plan to form. Wausau Paper claims the investment group has "significant experience" in the paper business. Mayor Johns hopes KPS understands Rhinelander needs to keep its mill."Any industry in this day and age is important to the community, especially when it's over 100 years old, you've had it here and it's been a part of your community for those many years," Johns said. The sale isn't official just yet. There are seveal steps to go through, including establishing a new collective bargaining agreement with the unions. Wausau Paper hopes to wrap things up by the end of the second quarter this year.KPS invested in Waupaca Foundry, Inc., based in Waupaca, Wisconsin. Just last month, Waupaca Foundry dolled out a $200 million return to investers.